Forest@ (Dec 2016)
Social perception of the forest landscape in Trentino-Alto Adige (Italy): comparison of case studies
Abstract
The landscape is the product of human activities and nature as developed during the centuries. However, the landscape has a symbolic value because it can be considered the identity and culture of a territory that includes the values and beliefs of local population. The Alpine landscape is a unicum in the world due to its geomorphologic, climatic and vegetation characteristics and socio-economic conditions of local population. Over the centuries the social perception of Alps has changed: in a first phase the Alps were considered “horrible and scary mountains”, later Alps were perceived as “beautiful and fascinating places”, and currently the Alpine mountains are considered a place of relaxation and recreation. The analysis of landscape perception aimed to investigate the visitors’ opinions about landscape is an important instrument to support the decision concerning the land planning and management. This study focuses on the analysis of the aesthetic perception of visitors on Alpine landscapes following two perspectives: a first overall perspective considering the landscape as a mosaic of different land uses and a second perspective of detail observing the individual components that characterize the forest landscape. The aim of the study is to identify the most appreciated elements of landscape from the aesthetic point of view and the influence of socio-demographic characteristics of respondents on individual perception. In order to investigate the perception about the Alpine landscapes 358 visitors of two sites of Trentino-Alto Adige (Val di Genova and Santa Maria lake) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results show that the most appreciated elements of the landscape by the visitors are water (lakes and rivers) and forests. These preferences are also conditioned by the site where the interviews were made. In addition, the results show that for the respondents of this survey the forest with the highest attractiveness is an uneven aged and mixed forest with randomly distributed trees, a canopy cover between 50% and 60% and without lying deadwood. Finally, this study shows the influence of socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (age, gender and origin) on individual preferences considering three types of perceptions: instinctive perception, affective perception and intellectual perception.
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